Mega Duck Explained

Mega Duck
Aka:Cougar Boy
Manufacturer:Welback Holdings
Type:Handheld video game console
Releasedate:[1]
Price:fl 129 (Netherlands)
Power:Four AA batteries or AC adapter 6VDC/300mA
Soc:Custom
Cpu:Sharp LR35902 @ 4.194304 MHz (embedded in custom made SoC)
Memory:16 KB RAM
Graphics:160×144 pixels
Sound:Built in speaker
Controllers:4 directional keys, A, B, Select and Start keys
Weight:249 g (w/o batteries)
Ramtype:Goldstar GM76C88LFW

The Mega Duck WG-108 (also known as Cougar Boy) is a handheld game console that was developed and manufactured by Hong Kong-based Welback Holdings through its Timlex International division, and released in 1993.

It was marketed under various different brands worldwide including Creatronic and Videojet, and the shell of the console came in white or black plastic. It was sold for about fl 129 in the Netherlands, and for a similar price in France and Germany.

In South America (mainly in Brazil), the Chinese-made Creatronic version was distributed by Cougar USA, also known as "Cougar Electronic Organization", and sold as the "Cougar Boy". Cougar USA didn't release the Cougar Boy in its origin country.

The cartridges are very similar to those of the Watara Supervision, but slightly narrower with fewer contacts (36 pins, whereas Supervision cartridges have 40). Conceptually, the electronics inside the Supervision and the Mega Duck are also very similar. The position of the volume controls, contrast controls, buttons, and connectors are virtually identical. However, the LCD of the Supervision is larger than the Mega Duck's.

The Cougar Boy came with a four-in-one game cartridge and a stereo earphone.

With an external joystick (not included) two players could play against each other simultaneously.

A variant in the form of an educational laptop for children was released in Germany by Hartung as the Mega Duck Super Junior Computer,[2] and in Brazil as the Super QuiQue. An extra accessory called the Mega Duck Printer was also released for this variant.

Technical specifications

The Mega Duck features a multi board design, separating the motherboard, LCD, and controller PCB into three different assemblies. The battery compartment is found on the back casing, being the contacts connected by wires and soldered onto the main board.

The Video Display Controller of the Mega Duck/Cougar Boy has one special feature, the display logic uses two "display planes" that are used to create parallax scrolling backgrounds, as if the picture is drawn on two sheets of which the top sheet is partly transparent.[3] [4]

List of games

This is an (incomplete) list of Mega Duck/Cougar Boy games. Each Mega Duck/Cougar Boy game is similarly labeled as the same games were marketed for both systems, although not all games were released for the Cougar Boy. The notation MDxxx is used for Mega Duck Games, and the notation CBxxx for a Cougar Boy Games. A MD002 is exactly the same game as the CB002, even to a point that some "Cougar Boy" games start up with a Mega Duck logo. Some notation numbers go unused, going up to 037, but missing 012 and 023 for example.

With the exception of the pack-in game for the Mega Duck (The Brick Wall) which was developed by the manufacturer, all games were developed by Thin Chen Enterprise under the "Sachen" and "Commin" brand names, and were later re-released for the Game Boy in 4-in-1 and 8-in-1 cartridges without the licence from Nintendo.

Although 24 cartridges (not counting Cougar Boy variants or add-ons for the Super Junior Computer) are known to exist, another game is listed on various websites called Tip & Tap,[2] however, it is not known if the game was ever released, or if it existed at all.

  1. [5]
TitleDeveloper Release year
001 The Brick Wall Timlex International 1993
002 Street Rider Commin 1993
003 Bomb Disposer Commin 1993
004 Vex Commin 1993
005 Suleiman's Treasure Commin 1993
006 Arctic Zone Commin 1993
007 Magic Maze Commin 1993
008 Puppet Knight Commin 1993
009 Trap and Turn Commin 1993
010 Pile Wonder Commin 1993
011 Captain Knick Knack Sachen 1993
013 Black Forest tale Commin 1993
014 Armour Force Commin 1993
018 Snake Roy Sachen 1993
019 Railway Sachen 1993
021 Beast Fighter Sachen 1993
026 Ant Soldiers Sachen 1993
028 2nd Space Sachen 1993
029 Magic Tower Sachen 1993
030 Worm Visitor Sachen 1993
031 Duck Adventures Commin 1993
035 Four in One Sachen 1993
035a Virus Atack Sachen 1993
035b Electron World Sachen 1993
035c Trouble Zone Sachen 1993
035d Dice Block Sachen 1993
036 Commin Five in one Commin 1993
036a Store Tris 1 Commin 1993
036b Store Tris 2 Commin 1993
036c Taiwan Mahjong Commin 1993
036d Japan Mahjong Commin 1993
036e Hong Kong Mahjung Commin 1993
037 Zipball Sachen 1993

Notes and References

  1. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/welback-holdings-launches-mega-duck-game--6934 WELBACK HOLDINGS LAUNCHES MEGA DUCK GAME
  2. Web site: DP FAQ .
  3. http://www.pelikonepeijoonit.net/duckfaq1.txt text file with tech info
  4. http://zxql3000.net/nerd/md_intro.php More information on the Mega Duck and Creatronic/Sachen
  5. http://www.vgdb.com.br/cougar-boy/jogos/railway/ http://www.vgdb.com.br/cougar-boy/jogos/railway/ (Promotional leaflet scan)